


check, call, raise, fold

by laughtales



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Lack of Communication, M/M, Sylvain Jose Gautier Being An Idiot, They're trying okay, mentions of gambling, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25418242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laughtales/pseuds/laughtales
Summary: Felix eyes a sword he can't afford. (And neither can Sylvain.) Somehow, it ends up in their home a week later and Felix has questions he needs answers to - like how Sylvain acquired a not insignificant amount of money in barely a week.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	check, call, raise, fold

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly have no idea what this is. I had a thought and the next thing I knew I was staring at a 1k word doc ;;

They had come across the sword at a shop in the older part of town.

It was a beautiful thing – a longsword with intricate pattens etched into the cross guard and dancing up the blade. The grip wrapped in a soft but sturdy leather and the well-weighted pommel embellished with tasteful cut-steel carvings. A sleek silver sheath styled much the same as the rest of the sword encased the blade snuggly allowing for a beautiful song to ring when the sword was drawn.

Replica though it was, the sword was extremely well-crafted and stunning to look at. And Felix had immediately become enamored with it.

Sadly, it also had a stunning price tag and although Felix longed to add it to his collection, neither he nor Sylvain nor their combined disposable income was enough to reasonably and justifiably purchase it.

Which is why Felix froze when he saw a beautiful wooden case sitting on the dining table when he got home from the gym one week later. He ran his hand over the polished wood, the black velvet interior lining, and the sword, still as stunning as when he first laid eyes on it, disbelievingly.

It’s then that Sylvain stepped out of the bathroom.

“Felix! You’re ho-“

“Sylvain.” He closed the case and took a steadying breath, willing away the doubts that trickled into his head. “What did you do?”

Sylvain smile dimmed and he let the towel he’d be drying his hair with rest on his shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“This,” Felix gestured. “How-? Why-?” He fumbled through several halted questions before gritting out the same one through clenched teeth. “What did you do?”

“You were so excited about it. I wanted to do something nice for you.” Sylvain wasn’t smiling anymore, not even the sheepish one he uses whenever he spoils him. “I didn’t steal it if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“What? No! Is that what you think I think of you?” Felix exclaimed.

Unbelievable. Sure, they weren’t always black or white with what they said to each other and what they actually meant but they were working on it. And sure, they had their share of qualms about each other’s behaviors over the years but Felix knows Sylvain. Knows that deep down, under the act he put up to protect himself and those around him, was someone with the biggest heart he ever met. The thought Sylvain accused him of never crossed his mind and he’s hurt that he would think that Felix thought so low of him.

Sylvain shrugged, looking away. “I don’t know.”

“Well it’s not,” Felix snapped. His voice softened slightly when he saw Sylvain wince slightly at his tone. “How did you afford it? Don’t tell me you asked your parents-“

His stomach coiled at the thought.

Sylvain worked two jobs just so he wouldn’t have to depend on his family’s money, swearing that he wouldn’t have anything to do with them anymore.

Sure, Felix liked the sword, a lot, but that didn’t justify letting his boyfriend ask his manipulative and abusive parents for money just to make him happy. Sylvain shouldn’t- It’s not worth-

“I didn’t.” Sylvain’s voice cut through the messy swirl of his thoughts. He ran a hand through his still damp hair. “Can you just let this go, Fe? I thought it’d make you happy, but if it’s upsetting you, I can return it. Not that it’s going to change how I got the money or the fact that I have it.”

“Why won’t you tell me?” Felix asked, grabbing Sylvain by the wrist before he could flee into the next room. “Is it something bad?”

Sylvain hesitated, looking down at the floor. Then, very slowly, he turned to face Felix and walked them both to the couch.

“Poker,” he finally said, after mulling over his thoughts for a while. 

Felix snapped his head up. “What?”

Sylvain sighed. “I won it playing online poker.”

“You… gambled?”

“Sure, I guess. In the technical sense.” Sylvain waved a hand, slumping against the backrest. “It’s more math than gambling.”

Felix stared at him. “What the fuck.”

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I know, it’s bad and-”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, if you can make… _that_ much money in what, a week? Why are you even working?” It’s not really his idea of stable income but if Sylvain is as good as he says then it’s clearly enough to pay the bills _and_ for him to indulge in his hobbies and then some, so why not?

“I… don’t really like it. I like working at the bar and the flower shop, feels like I’m connecting with people, you know? The whole poker thing is so… detached. A heartless means to an end. I don’t like it. Makes me feel like a bad person.” Sylvain muttered the last part quietly.

“It doesn’t make you a bad person. But I think I get it.” And he does, sort of. Which is why he’s touched but also upset that Sylvain did it to buy him that sword. He took Sylvain’s hand in his. “I- I like the sword. But you don’t have to do that for me if you hate it so much.”

Sylvain squeezed his hand and tried for a smile. It came out halfway between that and a grimace.

“Did you spend it all on the sword?”

“No, I donated what was left to Ashe’s shelter. Didn’t feel right to keep it.”

“Between that and the present… You did a good thing.” Felix leaned into his shoulder, searching for the right words. “I’m with you because I like you. You know that right? You don’t have to buy my feelings.”

Felix knew why Sylvain sometimes felt like that. Which was why he forced himself to say the words even though it made him uncomfortable. Sylvain needed to hear them said and Felix wanted him to believe it. He liked Sylvain a whole lot more than some wall decoration, more than all the material things in the world.

“Sylvain, I,” Felix felt his ears turn red. “I love you for you.”

Sylvain smiled and this time it reached his eyes, soft around the edges and warm like the sun. “I love you too, more than anything in the world.”

Felix hummed in acknowledgement and pressed even closer into Sylvain’s side. “But I do really like the sword. Thank you,” he said very quietly.

Sylvain’s chuckle rang like birdsong in his ears. “You’re welcome, Fe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3 Remember to gamble responsibly kids. 
> 
> Please kudo/comment if you liked this and maybe give it a [ like/rt](https://twitter.com/laughtales_/status/1285444010065231872?s=20) here?


End file.
